Finding changes to system message texts

Automation routines are sensitive to message text changes between releases. So before migrating from your current release to another one, you might need to check out the message changes. The summary of changes of the related messages information can be a helpful reference; an alternative can identify changes to message texts more accurately: comparing the SYS1.MSGENU data set.

IBM® supplies a data set containing the text of system messages that are translated. This data set, called SYS1.MSGENU, contains the text of system messages in the form of message skeletons.

Note that this method will not show changes to messages that are not translated:

MVS™ system messages that are not translated, such as IPL and NIP messages (which are issued before the MVS message service is available)
Other product messages that are not translated, such as DFSMS/MVS messages, and JES3 messages.

You can compare the new data set with the data set on the system from which you are migrating. Depending on how you do the comparison, you can get output like the following.

For new messages, the output might show an I (for Insert):

I - IEA403I     VALUE OF RMAX HAS BEEN CHANGED TO 99

For messages with changed text, the output might show both an I and a D, indicating that a record in the message file has been replaced:

 I - IEE162I 46  &NNN. ROLL &A. MESSAGES (DEL=R OR RD)
 D - IEE162I 46  &NNN. ROLL &A. MESSAGES (DEL=R, RD)

This means that, in message IEE162I, (DEL=R, RD) was replaced by (DEL=R OR RD).

Using this information, you can decide if your automation routines need to be changed.